From kitchen table to £3 million turnover, Lincoln-based The British Hamper Company is celebrating 10 years of business success as it gears up for its busiest Christmas and unveils plans to double its turnover by 2026. The family-run business, which was founded in 2014 from a gazebo at the family home, was born from a shared enthusiasm for great food, British individuality and a love of gift giving. After a decade of business growth, it has marked its landmark year with a number of major milestones including a branding overhaul, the launch of its products into wholesale, expansion of its Lincolnshire premises and growth of its senior team. The business is now preparing to fulfil more than 2,000 orders a day over the Christmas period, with the creation of 30 additional seasonal jobs. This year The British Hamper Company has rolled out an ambitious growth strategy as it forecasts a £6 million turnover by 2026. Central to this growth is the launch of a wholesale product range, which will see its artisan food and drink products, including Cornish Fudge, All Butter Cheddar Biscuits, Lemon Butter Shortbread, Raspberry Zing Jam, fine teas, and handcrafted sweets, sold in gourmet food stores across the UK and rest of world for the first time. To meet growing demand from consumers, corporate gifting clients and its growth into the wholesale market, this year the business has significantly expanded its Lincoln-based warehouse facilities. The investment into its premises has increased its storage capacity by 36%, bringing the total operational area to approximately 15,000 square feet. With 35% of its orders being sent to recipients overseas, The British Hamper Company has also opened a European distribution hub in the Netherlands to streamline its distribution to global markets and to help support its global growth ambitions. The business has been further bolstered with the appointment of three new senior positions including an Export Sales Manager, National Wholesale Account Manager and Marketing Manager, taking the total number of permanent employees to 20. With a commitment to supporting the local community, 2024 saw the business form a partnership with Lincoln City Football Club. “Celebrating 10 years of The British Hamper Company is an incredible milestone for us as a family and as a business,” says Alice Tod, Sales Director of the Lincoln-based business. “This year has been particularly transformative, from unveiling a refreshed brand identity to launching our wholesale range – we’re immensely proud of how far we’ve come. It all started from humble beginnings in a gazebo at our family home, we are now proud to be a multimillion pound business at the heart of the luxury gifting market. “Throughout this journey, our Lincolnshire roots have been a constant source of inspiration and pride.” James Tod, Managing Director, continued: “Lincolnshire has provided us with a strong foundation to grow, from the talented local workforce to the support of the community that has championed us every step of the way. “This year, we’ve expanded our premises to meet rising demand, creating more jobs and investing in our future, all while staying true to our local heritage. Our new partnership with Lincoln City Football Club is a further example of how we’re staying connected to the region that means so much to us. “As we reach the end of our anniversary year and prepare for our busiest Christmas yet, we remain committed to delivering exceptional gifts that showcase the very best of British craftsmanship and quality. We’re excited about what the future holds and look forward to sharing this next chapter with our loyal customers and partners.”

cardfactory, the Wakefield-headquartered retailer of greeting cards and gifts, has entered the US gifts and celebration essentials market with the $25m acquisition of Garven Holdings and its subsidiaries.

Garven trades as Garven Design and Cadence Packaging and is a leader in the design and wholesale of gifts and celebration essentials, based in Minnesota.

Garven has an established customer base of general and speciality retailers which will allow cardfactory to further explore design and buying synergies, alongside opportunities to introduce its own ranges into the US wholesale market.

Chief Operating Officer, Anne Schulze and Chief Financial Officer, Walter Jungbauer will continue to manage the Garven business.

Darcy Willson-Rymer, cardfactory Chief Executive Officer, said: “The acquisition of Garven is an important strategic milestone in our partnerships strategy. Together with our separate wholesale supply agreement covering over 1,100 stores across the US, it establishes a physical presence in the US market.

“Over a number of years, Garven has built a reputation as a trusted brand known for its quality products and impressive design capabilities, with Anne and Walter building an excellent customer proposition. We are excited to welcome the Garven team to cardfactory and look forward to building upon their existing commercial relationships, as well as forging new ones.

“International partnerships are a key component of our growth strategy. This acquisition is a key step in delivering the growth from partnerships as we guided at our Capital Markets Update in May last year. Garven represents an exciting opportunity for cardfactory to build scale in the world’s biggest celebration occasions market.”

A new trilateral deal with the EU and Norway has secured UK fisheries more than 290,000 tonnes of North Sea stocks, worth up to £310m based on historic landing prices. The deal agreed catch limits on six fish stocks including cod, haddock and herring in the North Sea and other waters around the UK. Fisheries Minister Daniel Zeichner says the opportunities secured by the UK will support a sustainable and economically successful fishing sector, which in turn will back coastal communities by providing local jobs and boost economic growth. The agreement also highlights all parties’ continued commitment to ensure the long-term sustainability of shared stocks. Sustainability is at the heart of the UK’s approach to negotiations, pushing for decisions based on the best available science to protect key stocks and support the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry. Advice from scientists at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea is the starting point for the UK’s approach and, where possible, catch limits have been set at or below these advised levels.  Economic and social considerations are appropriately balanced alongside this scientific advice. The outcome of annual fisheries negotiations will be published in the Secretary of State determination of fishing opportunities for British boats by the end of the year.